Abekawa Mochi is a famous regional food of Shizuoka prefecture, west of Tokyo. It is freshly cooked Mochi coated with Kinako soybean powder and sugar. This simple Mochi dessert is popular in the area of course and everywhere in Japan. Abekawa Mochi is found in Wagashi Japanese sweet shops and supermarkets, but it is quite easy to make at home too.
Gobo Salad is a popular side dish that is often in bento boxes or an item in the deli case at stores. It is a healthy and tasty dish you want to add to your meals sometimes.
Ham Roll is a typical Japanese savory bread roll that can be found at many local bakeries in Japan. Thinly sliced ham is interestingly rolled into bread dough and baked, and it shows a nice swirl pattern in the end product. Ham Rolls may look a little complicated but they are actually quite simple to make once you know how to do it. We used the bread dough from our Japanese Basic Bread recipe which is light and fluffy, and perfect for these yummy rolls. If you are not familiar with Japanese Basic Bread, please check out that video first before tackling this dish to avoid an unsuccessful result.
Ochazuke is Steamed Rice with hot tea poured over and some added toppings. It is not really a formal meal, but Ochazuke is often eaten when you don’t have time or don’t want to cook. Dashi Chazuke is using seasoned Dashi instead of merely tea, so there is a tiny bit more cooking involved to make Dashi broth.
Kabocha Salad is mashed Kabocha mixed with mayo and seasonings. It is a popular side dish for Bento or any Japanese meal. Kabocha (Japanese pumpkin) is sweet, healthy, and very versatile. You can cook it just like potatoes. Mash it, fry it, simmer it, etc. We made Kabocha salad with cucumbers here, but you could add other vegetables like sliced onion or cooked broccoli, and some protein like boiled eggs or ham. It is similar to Japanese potato salad, but the ingredients here are a lot simpler. Kabocha can be softened in the microwave very easily and quickly, so the salad can be made in no time. It could be mashed completely to have a smooth texture or leave some chunks to enjoy a heartier dish. This salad is so easy and tasty that you need to try it for a weekday supper
Curry Korokke is just like Japanese Potato Korokke (croquette) but the filling is flavored with curry powder. The process and ingredients of making Curry Korokke are very similar to regular Korokke, but a little change of the spice makes this ordinary entree taste like a completely different food.
Fruit Daifuku is a Japanes Mochi dessert, Fruit, like strawberry, is wrapped in Anko sweet bean paste, then in Mochi rice cake. Fruit Daifuku is not a very traditional sweet, but it’s been around for a few decades now, and it is one of the most popular items at Wagashi Japanese sweet shops.
Shiro An is sweet white bean paste, and it is a crucial ingredient for Japanese traditional confectioneries, just like Anko sweet red bean paste. Shiro An is made from white kidney beans and sugar. It’s used in a lot of different forms of desserts in Japan, from fresh Mochi desserts such as Fruit Daifuku to baked Manju so it is a great recipe to know if you like making Japanese sweets.
Spam Musubi is a Rice Ball with grilled Spam on top. The whole thing is wrapped with a strip of Nori seaweed. It is a popular Hawaiian dish but also found in some regions of Japan.
In addition to Onigiri, Musubi or Omusubi is another word for rice ball in Japanese. Spam meat was a combat ration for soldiers in the American military during World War II. After Japanese-American soldiers came back to Hawaii after the war, Spam turned into a popular local food when they brought the canned meat with them. Areas in Japan that have a big American military presence, especially Okinawa, also have a lot of food from the American military after the war, and Spam dishes became popular for restaurant and home food.